EX-99.1 2 tm2130053d1_ex99-1.htm EXHIBIT 99.1

Exhibit 99.1

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm   F-2
Balance Sheet as of October 12, 2021   F-3
Notes to Financial Statement   F-4

 

 

 F-1 

 

 

REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM

 

To the Shareholders and Board of Directors of

IX Acquisition Corp.

 

Opinion on the Financial Statement

 

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of IX Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) as of October 12, 2021, and the related notes (collectively referred to as the “financial statement”). In our opinion, the financial statement presents fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company as of October 12, 2021, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

 

Basis for Opinion

 

This financial statement is the responsibility of the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's financial statement based on our audit. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) ("PCAOB") and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

 

We conducted our audit in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statement is free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud. The Company is not required to have, nor were we engaged to perform, an audit of its internal control over financial reporting. As part of our audit we are required to obtain an understanding of internal control over financial reporting but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Company's internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we express no such opinion.

 

Our audit included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statement, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the financial statement. Our audit also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the financial statement. We believe that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion.

 

/s/ Marcum llp

Marcum llp

 

We have served as the Company’s auditor since 2021.

 

Boston, MA

October 18, 2021

 

 F-2 

 

  

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

BALANCE SHEET

OCTOBER 12, 2021

 

ASSETS     
Current assets:     
Cash  $1,328,705 
Prepaid expenses   27,531 
Due from related party   55,544 
Total current assets   1,411,780 
      
Cash held in trust account   231,150,000 
TOTAL ASSETS  $232,561,780 
      
LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT     
Current liabilities:     
Accounts payable  $4,315 
Accrued offering costs and expenses   100,622 
Total current liabilities   104,937 
      
Warrant liabilities   21,105,000 
Deferred underwriting fee payable   12,100,000 
Total Liabilities   33,309,937 
      
Commitments (Note 6)     
Class A ordinary shares, subject to possible redemption; 23,000,000 shares at redemption value at a redemption value of $10.05   231,150,000 
      
Shareholders' Deficit     
Preference shares, $0.0001 par value; 1,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding    
Class A ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 200,000,000 shares authorized; none issued and outstanding (excluding 23,000,000 shares subject to possible redemption)    
Class B ordinary shares, $0.0001 par value; 20,000,000 shares authorized; 5,750,000 issued and outstanding   575 
Additional paid-in capital    
Accumulated deficit   (31,898,732)
Total Shareholders' Deficit   (31,898,157)
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT  $232,561,780 

 

The accompanying notes are an integral part of the financial statement.

 

 F-3 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

NOTE 1. DESCRIPTION OF ORGANIZATION AND BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND LIQUIDITY

 

IX Acquisition Corp. (the “Company”) is a blank check company incorporated in the Cayman Islands on March 1, 2021. The Company was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, share purchase, reorganization or similar Business Combination with one or more businesses (a “Business Combination”).

 

The Company is not limited to a particular industry or geographic region for purposes of consummating a Business Combination. The Company is an early stage and emerging growth company and, as such, the Company is subject to all of the risks associated with early stage and emerging growth companies.

 

As of October 12, 2021, the Company had not yet commenced any operations. All activity for the period from March 1, 2021 (inception) through October 12, 2021 relates to the Company’s formation and the initial public offering (“Initial Public Offering”).

 

The registration statement for the Company’s Initial Public Offering was declared effective on October 6, 2021. On October 12, 2021, the Company consummated the Initial Public Offering of 23,000,000 units (the “Units” and, with respect to the Class A ordinary shares included in the Units sold, the “Public Shares”), including 3,000,000 Units that were issued pursuant to the underwriters' exercise of their over-allotment option in full, at $10.00 per Unit, generating total gross proceeds of $230,000,000, which is described in Note 3.

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Company consummated the sale of 7,150,000 warrants (the “Private Placement Warrants”) at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant in a private placement to IX Acquisition Sponsor LLC (the “Sponsor”), Cantor Fitzgerald & Co. ("Cantor"), and Odeon Capital Group, LLC ("Odeon") generating gross proceeds of $7,150,000, which is described in Note 4.

 

Transaction costs amounted to $30,650,826 consisting of $4,000,000 of underwriting fees, $12,100,000 of deferred underwriting fees, $13,853,689 for the excess of the fair value over the sales price of founder shares sold to the anchor investors (see Note 5), and $697,137 of other offering costs. Cash of $1,328,705 was held outside of the Trust Account (as defined below) and is available for the payment of offering costs and for working capital purposes.

 

Following the closing of the Initial Public Offering on October 12, 2021, an amount of $231,150,000 from the net proceeds of the sale of the Units in the Initial Public Offering and the sale of the Private Placement Warrants was placed in a trust account (the “Trust Account”) and will be invested only in U.S. government treasury obligations with maturities of 185 days or less or in money market funds meeting certain conditions under Rule 2a-7 under the Investment Company Act which invest only in direct U.S. government treasury obligations, until the earlier of: (i) the completion of the initial Business Combination; (ii) the redemption of any public shares properly tendered in connection with a shareholder vote to amend the amended and restated memorandum and articles of association to modify the substance or timing of the Company's obligation to redeem 100% of the public shares if the Company does not complete the initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering; and (iii) absent an initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of this offering or with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity, the return of the funds held in the trust account to the public shareholders as part of the redemption of the public shares. If the Company does not invest the proceeds as discussed above, the Company may be deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act. If the Company is deemed to be subject to the Investment Company Act, compliance with these additional regulatory burdens would require additional expenses for which the Company has not allotted funds and may hinder the Company's ability to complete a business combination. If the Company is unable to complete the initial Business Combination, the Company's public shareholders may only receive their pro rata portion of the funds in the trust account that are available for distribution to public shareholders, and the warrants will expire worthless.

 

 F-4 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

The Company will provide its public shareholders with the opportunity to redeem all or a portion of their Public Shares upon the completion of a Business Combination either (i) in connection with a shareholder meeting called to approve the Business Combination or (ii) by means of a tender offer. The decision as to whether the Company will seek shareholder approval of a Business Combination or conduct a tender offer will be made by the Company, in its sole discretion. The public shareholders will be entitled to redeem their Public Shares for a pro rata portion of the amount held in the Trust Account ($10.05 per share), calculated as of two business days prior to the completion of a Business Combination, including any pro rata interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account and not previously released to the Company to pay its tax obligations. There will be no redemption rights upon the completion of a Business Combination with respect to the Company’s warrants. The Class A ordinary shares are recorded at redemption value and classified as temporary equity upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering, in accordance with the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) Topic 480, Distinguishing Liabilities from Equity ("ASC 480").

 

The Company will proceed with a Business Combination if the Company has net tangible assets of at least $5,000,001 upon consummation of such Business Combination and a majority of the shares voted are voted in favor of the Business Combination. If a shareholder vote is not required under applicable law or stock exchange listing requirements and the Company does not decide to hold a shareholder vote for business or other reasons, the Company will, pursuant to its amended and restated memorandum and articles of association as then in effect (the “Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association”), conduct the redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and file tender offer documents containing substantially the same information as would be included in a proxy statement with the SEC prior to completing a Business Combination. If the Company seeks shareholder approval in connection with a Business Combination, the initial shareholders, anchor investors, and management team have agreed to vote any Founder Shares held by them, and any Public Shares purchased in or after the Initial Public Offering in favor of approving a Business Combination. Additionally, each public shareholder may elect to redeem their Public Shares irrespective of whether they vote for or against the proposed transaction or whether they were a public shareholder on the record date for the general meeting held to approve the proposed transaction.

 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the Company seeks shareholder approval of a Business Combination and it does not conduct redemptions pursuant to the tender offer rules, the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association provides that a public shareholder, together with any affiliate of such shareholder or any other person with whom such shareholder is acting in concert or as a “group” (as defined under Section 13 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)), will be restricted from redeeming its shares with respect to more than an aggregate of 15% of the Public Shares without the Company’s prior written consent.

 

The initial shareholders and anchor investors (as described in Note 5) have agreed to (i) waive their redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares and Public Shares they hold in connection with the completion of an initial Business Combination, (ii) waive their redemption rights with respect to any Founder Shares and Public Shares they hold in connection with a shareholder vote to approve an amendment to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association to modify the substance or timing of the Company's obligation to redeem 100% of the Public Shares if the Company has not consummated an initial Business Combination within 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering or with respect to any other material provisions relating to shareholders’ rights or pre-initial Business Combination activity and (iii) waive their rights to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account with respect to any Founder Shares they hold if the Company fails to complete an initial Business Combination within 18 months from the Initial Public Offering. However, if the initial shareholders or anchor investors acquire Public Shares in or after the Initial Public Offering, such Public Shares will be entitled to liquidating distributions from the Trust Account if the Company fails to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period (as defined below).

 

 F-5 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

The Company will have until 18 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering (the “Combination Period”) to complete a Business Combination. If the Company is unable to complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the Company will (i) cease all operations except for the purpose of winding up, (ii) as promptly as reasonably possible but not more than ten business days thereafter, redeem the Public Shares, at a per-share price, payable in cash, equal to the aggregate amount then on deposit in the Trust Account, including interest earned on the funds held in the Trust Account (which interest shall be net of taxes payable and up to $100,000 of interest to pay dissolution expenses), divided by the number of then outstanding Public Shares, which redemption will completely extinguish public shareholders’ rights as shareholders (including the right to receive further liquidating distributions, if any), and (iii) as promptly as reasonably possible following such redemption, subject to the approval of the Company's remaining shareholders and board of directors, liquidate and dissolve, subject, in each case, to the Company's obligations under Cayman Islands law to provide for claims of creditors and the requirements of other applicable law.

 

The underwriters have agreed to waive their rights to their deferred underwriting commission (see Note 6) held in the Trust Account in the event the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period and, in such event, such amounts will be included with the other funds held in the Trust Account that will be available to fund the redemption of the Public Shares. In the event of such distribution, it is possible that the per share value of the assets remaining available for distribution will be less than the Initial Public Offering price per Unit ($10.00).

 

In order to protect the amounts held in the Trust Account, the Sponsor has agreed to be liable to the Company if and to the extent any claims by a third party for services rendered or products sold to the Company, or a prospective target business with which the Company has discussed entering into a transaction agreement, reduce the amount of funds in the Trust Account to below (1) $10.05 per Public Share or (2) the actual amount per Public Share held in the Trust Account as of the date of the liquidation of the Trust Account if less than $10.05 per Public Share due to reductions in the value of the trust assets, in each case net of the interest that may be withdrawn to pay the Company's tax obligations, provided that such liability will not apply to any claims by a third-party or prospective target business that executed a waiver of any and all rights to seek access to the Trust Account (whether or not such waiver is enforceable) nor will it apply to any claims under the Company's indemnity of the underwriters of the Initial Public Offering against certain liabilities, including liabilities under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). Moreover, in the event that an executed waiver is deemed to be unenforceable against a third party, the Sponsor will not be responsible to the extent of any liability for such third-party claims. The Company will seek to reduce the possibility that the Sponsor will have to indemnify the Trust Account due to claims of creditors by endeavoring to have all vendors, service providers (other than the Company's independent registered public accounting firm), prospective target businesses or other entities with which the Company does business, execute agreements with the Company waiving any right, title, interest or claim of any kind in or to monies held in the Trust Account.

 

 F-6 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

Liquidity

 

Prior to the completion of the Initial Public Offering, the Company lacked the liquidity it needed to sustain operations for a reasonable period of time, which is considered to be one year from the issuance date of the financial statement. The Company has since completed its Initial Public Offering at which time capital in excess of the funds deposited in the Trust Account that is used to fund offering expenses was released to the Company for general working capital purposes. Further, the Company has access to $1,400,000 in working capital loans subsequent to the Initial Public Offering, as described in Note 5. Accordingly, management has since reevaluated the Company's liquidity and financial condition and determined that sufficient capital exists to sustain operations one year from the date this financial statement is issued and therefore substantial doubt has been alleviated.

 

Risks and Uncertainties

 

Management continues to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and has concluded that while it is reasonably possible that the virus could have a negative effect on the Company’s financial position, results of its operations, and/or search for a target company, the specific impact is not readily determinable as of the date of the financial statement. The financial statement does not include any adjustments that might result from the outcome of this uncertainty.

 

NOTE 2. SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

 

Basis of Presentation

 

The accompanying financial statement is presented in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”) and pursuant to the rules and regulations of the SEC.

 

Emerging Growth Company

 

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation in its periodic reports and proxy statements, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

 

Further, section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Exchange Act) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company has elected not to opt out of such extended transition period which means that when a standard is issued or revised and it has different application dates for public or private companies, the Company, as an emerging growth company, can adopt the new or revised standard at the time private companies adopt the new or revised standard. This may make comparison of the Company’s financial statements with another public company which is neither an emerging growth company nor an emerging growth company which has opted out of using the extended transition period difficult or impossible because of the potential differences in accounting standards used.

 

 F-7 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

Use of Estimates

 

The preparation of the financial statement in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires the Company’s management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period.

 

Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statement, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ from those estimates.

 

Cash and Cash Equivalents

 

The Company considers all short-term investments with an original maturity of three months or less when purchased to be cash equivalents. The Company did not have any cash equivalents as of October 12, 2021.

 

Cash Held in Trust Account

 

As of October 12, 2021, the Company had $231,150,000 in cash held in the Trust Account.

 

Class A Ordinary Shares Subject to Possible Redemption

 

The Company accounts for its ordinary shares subject to possible redemption in accordance with the guidance in ASC 480. Ordinary Shares subject to mandatory redemption are classified as a liability instrument and are measured at fair value. Conditionally redeemable ordinary shares (including ordinary shares that feature redemption rights that are either within the control of the holder or subject to redemption upon the occurrence of uncertain events not solely within the Company’s control) are classified as temporary equity. At all other times, ordinary shares are classified as shareholders’ equity. The Company’s ordinary shares feature certain redemption rights that are considered to be outside of the Company’s control and subject to the occurrence of uncertain future events. The Company recognizes changes in redemption value immediately as they occur and adjusts the carrying value of redeemable Class A ordinary shares to equal the redemption value at the end of each reporting period. Increases or decreases in the carrying amount of redeemable Class A ordinary shares are affected by charges against additional paid-in capital and accumulated deficit.

 

As of October 12, 2021, 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption are presented at redemption value as temporary equity, outside of the shareholders’ deficit section of the Company’s balance sheet.

 

Offering Costs associated with the Initial Public Offering

 

The Company complies with the requirements of ASC 340-10-S99-1 and SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A - Expenses of Offering. Offering costs consist principally of professional and registration fees incurred through the balance sheet date that are related to the Initial Public Offering. Offering costs directly attributable to the issuance of an equity contract to be classified in equity are recorded as a reduction in equity. Offering costs for equity contracts that are classified as assets and liabilities are expensed immediately. The Company incurred offering costs amounting to $30,650,826 as a result of the Initial Public Offering (consisting of $4,000,000 of underwriting fees, $12,100,000 of deferred underwriting fees, $13,853,689 for the excess fair value of founder shares attributable to the anchor investors, and $697,137 of other offering costs). Of the $30,650,826 in offering costs, $28,932,287 were charged to shareholders' deficit, and $1,718,539 were expensed immediately.

 

 F-8 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

Income Taxes

 

The Company accounts for income taxes under ASC 740, Income Taxes (“ASC 740”). ASC 740 requires the recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities for both the expected impact of differences between the financial statement and tax basis of assets and liabilities and for the expected future tax benefit to be derived from tax loss and tax credit carry forwards. ASC 740 additionally requires a valuation allowance to be established when it is more likely than not that all or a portion of deferred tax assets will not be realized.

 

ASC 740 also clarifies the accounting for uncertainty in income taxes recognized in an enterprise’s financial statements and prescribes a recognition threshold and measurement process for financial statement recognition and measurement of a tax position taken or expected to be taken in a tax return. For those benefits to be recognized, a tax position must be more-likely-than-not to be sustained upon examination by taxing authorities. ASC 740 also provides guidance on derecognition, classification, interest and penalties, accounting in interim period, disclosure and transition. Based on the Company’s evaluation, it has been concluded that there are no significant uncertain tax positions requiring recognition in the Company’s financial statement. Since the Company was incorporated on March 1, 2021, the evaluation was performed for the upcoming 2021 tax year which will be the only period subject to examination.

 

The Company recognizes accrued interest and penalties related to unrecognized tax benefits as income tax expense. There were no unrecognized tax benefits and no amounts accrued for interest and penalties as of October 12, 2021. The Company is currently not aware of any issues under review that could result in significant payments, accruals or material deviation from its position. There are no taxes in the Cayman Islands and accordingly income taxes are not levied on the Company. Consequently, income taxes are not reflected in the Company’s financial statement.

 

Concentration of Credit Risk

 

Financial instruments that potentially subject the Company to concentrations of credit risk consist of a cash account in a financial institution, which, at times, may exceed the Federal Depository Insurance Coverage of $250,000. The Company has not experienced losses on this account and management believes the Company is not exposed to significant risks on such account.

 

Derivative Financial Instruments

 

The Company evaluates its financial instruments to determine if such instruments are derivatives or contain features that qualify as embedded derivatives in accordance with ASC Topic 815, “Derivatives and Hedging”. Derivative instruments are initially recorded at fair value on the grant date and re-valued at each reporting date, with changes in the fair value reported in the statements of operations. Derivative assets and liabilities are classified in the balance sheet as current or non-current based on whether or not net-cash settlement or conversion of the instrument could be required within 12 months of the balance sheet date.

 

Warrant Liabilities

 

The Company evaluated the Public Warrants and Private Placement Warrants (collectively, “Warrants”), in accordance with ASC 815-40, “Derivatives and Hedging -- Contracts in Entity's Own Equity”, and concluded that a provision in the Warrant Agreement related to certain tender or exchange offers precludes the Warrants from being accounted for as components of equity. As the Warrants meet the definition of a derivative as contemplated in ASC 815, the Warrants are recorded as derivative liabilities on the balance sheet and measured at fair value at inception (on the date of the IPO) and at each reporting date in accordance with ASC 820, “Fair Value Measurement”, with changes in fair value recognized in the statement of operations in the period of change.

 

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

 

ASC 820 establishes a fair value hierarchy that prioritizes and ranks the level of observability of inputs used to measure investments at fair value. The observability of inputs is impacted by a number of factors, including the type of investment, characteristics specific to the investment, market conditions and other factors. The hierarchy gives the highest priority to unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1 measurements) and the lowest priority to unobservable inputs (Level 3 measurements). Investments with readily available quoted prices or for which fair value can be measured from quoted prices in active markets will typically have a higher degree of input observability and a lesser degree of judgment applied in determining fair value.

 

The carrying amounts reflected in the balance sheet for cash, prepaid expenses, due from related party, cash held in trust account, accounts payable, and accrued offering costs and expenses approximate fair value due to their short-term nature.

 

 F-9 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

The three levels of the fair value hierarchy under ASC 820 are as follows:

 

Level 1—Quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical investments at the measurement date are used.

 

Level 2—Pricing inputs are other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the investment, either directly or indirectly. Level 2 pricing inputs include quoted prices for similar investments in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar investments in markets that are not active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the investment, and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means.

 

Level 3—Pricing inputs are unobservable and include situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the investment. The inputs used in determination of fair value require significant judgment and estimation.

 

In some cases, the inputs used to measure fair value might fall within different levels of the fair value hierarchy. In such cases, the level in the fair value hierarchy within which the investment is categorized in its entirety is determined based on the lowest level input that is significant to the investment. Assessing the significance of a particular input to the valuation of an investment in its entirety requires judgment and considers factors specific to the investment. The categorization of an investment within the hierarchy is based upon the pricing transparency of the investment and does not necessarily correspond to the perceived risk of that investment.

 

See Note 9 for additional information on assets and liabilities measured at fair value.

 

Recent Accounting Standards

 

In August 2020, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2020-06, Debt — Debt with Conversion and Other Options (Subtopic 470-20) and Derivatives and Hedging — Contracts in Entity’s Own Equity (Subtopic 815-40) (“ASU 2020-06”) to simplify accounting for certain financial instruments. ASU 2020-06 eliminates the current models that require separation of beneficial conversion and cash conversion features from convertible instruments and simplifies the derivative scope exception guidance pertaining to equity classification of contracts in an entity’s own equity. The new standard also introduces additional disclosures for convertible debt and freestanding instruments that are indexed to and settled in an entity’s own equity. ASU 2020-06 amends the diluted earnings per share guidance, including the requirement to use the if-converted method for all convertible instruments. ASU 2020-06 is effective January 1, 2022 and should be applied on a full or modified retrospective basis, with early adoption permitted beginning on January 1, 2021. The Company is currently assessing the impact, if any, that ASU 2020-06 would have on its financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

 

Management does not believe that any other recently issued, but not yet effective, accounting standards, if currently adopted, would have a material effect on the Company’s financial statement.

 

 F-10 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

NOTE 3. INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERING

 

Pursuant to the Initial Public Offering, the Company sold 23,000,000 Units, including 3,000,000 Units that were issued pursuant to the underwriters’ exercise of their over-allotment option in full, at a purchase price of $10.00 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one Class A ordinary share and one-half of one redeemable warrant ("Public Warrant"). Each Public Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Class A ordinary share at an exercise price of $11.50 per whole share (see Note 7).

 

NOTE 4. PRIVATE PLACEMENT

 

Simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, the Sponsor, Cantor, and Odeon purchased an aggregate of 7,150,000 Private Placement Warrants at a price of $1.00 per Private Placement Warrant ($7,150,000 in the aggregate). Each Private Placement Warrant is exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at a price of $11.50 per share. The proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants were added to the net proceeds from the Initial Public Offering held in the Trust Account. If the Company does not complete a Business Combination within the Combination Period, the proceeds from the sale of the Private Placement Warrants will be used to fund the redemption of the Public Shares (subject to the requirements of applicable law) and the Private Placement Warrants will expire worthless.

 

NOTE 5. RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

 

Founder Shares

 

On March 11, 2021, the Sponsor was issued 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares (the “Founder Shares”) for an aggregate of $25,000 paid to cover certain expenses on behalf of the Company. The Founder Shares included an aggregate of up to 750,000 Class B ordinary shares subject to forfeiture by the Sponsor to the extent that the underwriters’ over-allotment option is not exercised in full or in part, so that the Sponsor and its permitted transferees own, on an as-converted basis, 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares after the Initial Public Offering. The underwriters exercised the over-allotment in full simultaneously with the closing of the Initial Public Offering, thus the 750,000 Class B ordinary shares are no longer subject to forfeiture.

 

The initial shareholders have agreed that, subject to certain limited exceptions, the Founder Shares will not be transferred, assigned, or sold until the earlier of (i) one year after the completion of a Business Combination or (ii) subsequent to an initial Business Combination, (x) if the closing price of Class A ordinary shares equals or exceeds $12.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like) for any 20 trading days within any 30-trading day period commencing at least 150 days after an initial Business Combination, or (y) the date on which the Company completes a liquidation, merger, share exchange or other similar transaction that results in all of the public shareholders having the right to exchange their ordinary shares for cash, securities or other property.

 

A total of eight anchor investors purchased 1,980,000 units in the Initial Public Offering at the offering price of $10.00 per unit; six anchor investors purchased 980,000 units in the Initial Public Offering at the offering price of $10.00 per unit; one Anchor Investor purchased 780,000 units in the Initial Public Offering at the offering price of $10.00 per unit; and one Anchor Investor purchased 500,000 units in the Initial Public Offering at the offering price of $10.00 per unit. Pursuant to such units, the anchor investors have not been granted any shareholder or other rights in addition to those afforded to the Company’s other public shareholders. Further, the anchor investors are not required to (i) hold any units, Class A ordinary shares or warrants they may purchase in the Initial Public Offering or thereafter for any amount of time, (ii) vote any Class A ordinary shares they may own at the applicable time in favor of the Business Combination or (iii) refrain from exercising their right to redeem their public shares at the time of the Business Combination. The anchor investors will have the same rights to the funds held in the trust account with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the units purchased in the Initial Public Offering as the rights afforded to the Company’s other public shareholders.

 

 F-11 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

Each anchor investor has entered into separate investment agreements with the Company and the Sponsor pursuant to which each anchor investor agreed to purchase a specified number of Founder Shares, or an aggregate of 1,747,879 Founder Shares, from the Sponsor for $0.004 per share, or an aggregate purchase price of $6,992 at the closing of the Initial Public Offering, subject to such anchor investor’s acquisition of 100% of the units allocated to it by the underwriters in the Initial Public Offering. Pursuant to the investment agreements, the anchor investors have agreed to (a) vote any Founder Shares held by them in favor of the Business Combination and (b) subject any Founder Shares held by them to the same lock-up restrictions as the Founder Shares held by the Sponsor and independent directors.

 

The Company estimated the fair value of the Founder Shares attributable to the anchor investors to be $13,860,681 or $7.93 per share. The excess of the fair value of the Founder Shares sold over the purchase price of $6,992 (or $0.004 per share) was determined to be an offering cost in accordance with Staff Accounting Bulletin Topic 5A. Accordingly, the offering cost will be allocated to the separable financial instruments issued in the Initial Public Offering based on a relative fair value basis, compared to total proceeds received. Offering costs allocated to derivative warrant liabilities will be expensed immediately in the statement of operations. Offering costs allocated to the Public Shares will be charged to shareholders' deficit upon the completion of the Initial Public Offering.

 

Promissory Note—Related Party

 

On March 11, 2021, the Sponsor agreed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $300,000 to cover expenses related to the Initial Public Offering pursuant to a promissory note (the “Promissory Note”). This loan is non-interest bearing and payable on the earlier of (i) December 31, 2021 or (ii) the consummation of the Initial Public Offering. The outstanding balance under the Promissory Note was repaid on October 12, 2021 upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering.

 

Due from Related Party

 

Due from related party consists of amounts owed from IX Acquisition Sponsor LLC, due to an excess amount paid to the Sponsor as repayment for the outstanding amount under the Promissory Note.

 

Administrative Support Agreement

 

The Company has entered into an agreement with IX Acquisition Services LLC, an entity owned by an affiliate of the Sponsor, to pay a total of $10,000 per month for office space, secretarial and administrative services. Upon the completion of an initial Business Combination or liquidation, the Company will cease paying these monthly fees.

 

Related Party Loans

 

The Sponsor has committed to loan the Company an aggregate of up to $1,400,000 for working capital purposes ("Committed Sponsor Loans"), at the Company's request, on or after January 15, 2022. Such Committed Sponsor Loans will be convertible into Private Placement Warrants, each exercisable to purchase one Class A ordinary share at $11.50 per share, at a price of $1.00 per warrant, or up to $1,400,000 in the aggregate. In addition, in order to finance transaction costs in connection with an intended initial Business Combination, the Sponsor or an affiliate of the Sponsor or certain of the Company's officers and directors may, but are not obligated to (except in the case of the Committed Sponsor Loans), loan the Company additional funds as may be required on a non-interest basis (together with the Committed Sponsor Loans, the "Working Capital Loans"). If the Company completes an initial Business Combination, the Company would repay such loaned amounts. In the event that the initial Business Combination does not close, the Company may use a portion of the working capital held outside the trust account to repay such loaned amounts but no proceeds from the Company's trust account would be used for such repayment. Up to $1,500,000 of such loans (which amount includes the Committed Sponsor Loans) may be convertible into warrants of the post Business Combination entity at a price of $1.00 per warrant at the option of the lender. The warrants would be identical to the Private Placement Warrants.

 

 F-12 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

NOTE 6. COMMITMENTS

 

Registration and Shareholder Rights Agreement

 

The holders of the Founder Shares, Private Placement Warrants and warrants that may be issued upon conversion of Working Capital Loans (and any Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the Private Placement Warrants and warrants issued upon conversion of the Working Capital Loans) are entitled to registration rights pursuant to a registration rights agreement to be signed prior to or on the effective date of the Initial Public Offering. The holders of these securities are entitled to make up to three demands, excluding short form demands, that the Company register such securities. In addition, the holders have certain “piggy-back” registration rights with respect to registration statements filed subsequent to consummation of a Business Combination. The Company bears the expenses incurred in connection with the filing of any such registration statements.

 

Underwriting Agreement

 

The underwriters were paid a cash underwriting discount of $0.20 per Unit (excluding over-allotment Units) in the Initial Public Offering, or $4,000,000 in the aggregate, upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. In addition, $0.50 per Unit (excluding over-allotment Units) and $0.70 per over-allotment Unit (totaling $12,100,000 in aggregate) is payable to the underwriters for deferred underwriting commissions. The deferred fee is payable to the underwriters from the amounts held in the Trust Account solely in the event that the Company completes a Business Combination, subject to the terms of the underwriting agreement.

 

NOTE 7. WARRANT LIABILITY

 

Public Warrants may only be exercised for a whole number of shares. No fractional shares will be issued upon exercise of the Public Warrants. The Public Warrants will become exercisable on the later of (a) 30 days after the completion of a Business Combination and (b) 12 months from the closing of the Initial Public Offering. The Public Warrants will expire five years from the completion of a Business Combination, at 5:00 p.m., New York City time, or earlier upon redemption or liquidation.

 

The Company will not be obligated to deliver any Class A ordinary shares pursuant to the exercise of a warrant and will have no obligation to settle such warrant exercise unless a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to the Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants is then effective and a prospectus relating thereto is current, subject to the Company satisfying the obligations described below with respect to registration. No warrant will be exercisable and the Company will not be obligated to issue Class A ordinary shares upon exercise of a warrant unless the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon such warrant exercise have been registered, qualified or deemed to be exempt under the securities laws of the state of residence of the registered holder of the warrants. In the event that the conditions in the two immediately preceding sentences are not satisfied with respect to a warrant, the holder of such warrant will not be entitled to exercise such warrant and such warrant may have no value and expire worthless. In no event will the Company be required to net cash settle any warrant.

 

 F-13 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

The Company has agreed that as soon as practicable, but in no event later than fifteen (15) business days after the closing of an initial Business Combination, the Company will use its best efforts to file with the SEC a registration statement for the registration, under the Securities Act, of the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants. The Company will use its best efforts to cause the same to become effective and to maintain the effectiveness of such registration statement, and a current prospectus relating thereto, until the expiration of the warrants in accordance with the provisions of the warrant agreement. If a registration statement covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is not effective by the sixtieth (60th) business day after the closing of an initial Business Combination, warrant holders may, until such time as there is an effective registration statement and during any period when the Company will have failed to maintain an effective registration statement, exercise warrants on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act or another exemption. Notwithstanding the above, if the Class A ordinary shares are at the time of any exercise of a warrant not listed on a national securities exchange such that they satisfy the definition of a “covered security” under Section 18(b)(1) of the Securities Act, the Company may, at its option, require holders of Public Warrants who exercise their warrants to do so on a “cashless basis” in accordance with Section 3(a)(9) of the Securities Act and, in the event the Company so elects, the Company will not be required to file or maintain in effect a registration statement, and in the event the Company does not so elect, the Company will use its best efforts to register or qualify the shares under applicable blue sky laws to the extent an exemption is not available.

 

Redemption of warrants for cash—Once the warrants become exercisable, the Company may call the warrants for redemption:

 

in whole and not in part;
at a price of $0.01 per warrant;
upon not less than 30 days’ prior written notice of redemption (the “30-day redemption period”) to each warrant holder; and
if, and only if, the closing price of the ordinary shares equals or exceeds $18.00 per share (as adjusted for share subdivisions, share capitalizations, reorganizations, recapitalizations and the like and for certain issuances of Class A ordinary shares and equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of the initial Business Combination) for any 20 trading days within a 30-trading day period ending three business days before the Company sends to the notice of redemption to the warrant holders.

 

The Company will not redeem the warrants for cash unless an effective registration statement under the Securities Act covering the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the warrants is effective and a current prospectus relating to those Class A ordinary shares is available throughout the 30-day redemption period, except if the warrants may be exercised on a cashless basis and such cashless exercise is exempt from registration under the Securities Act. If and when the warrants become redeemable by the Company, the Company may exercise its redemption right even if the Company is unable to register or qualify the underlying securities for sale under all applicable state securities laws.

 

 F-14 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

If the Company calls the warrants for redemption as described above, the Company's management will have the option to require all holders that wish to exercise warrants to do so on a “cashless basis.” In determining whether to require all holders to exercise their warrants on a “cashless basis,” the Company's management will consider, among other factors, its cash position, the number of warrants that are outstanding and the dilutive effect on the Company's shareholders of issuing the maximum number of Class A ordinary shares issuable upon the exercise of the warrants. In such event, each holder would pay the exercise price by surrendering the warrants for that number of Class A ordinary shares equal to the quotient obtained by dividing (x) the product of the number of Class A ordinary shares underlying the warrants, multiplied by the excess of the “fair market value” of the Company's Class A ordinary shares (defined below) over the exercise price of the warrants by (y) the fair market value. The “fair market value” will mean the average reported closing price of the Class A ordinary shares for the 10 trading days ending on the third trading day prior to the date on which the notice of redemption is sent to the holders of warrants.

 

In addition, if (x) the Company issues additional Class A ordinary shares or equity-linked securities for capital raising purposes in connection with the closing of an initial Business Combination at an issue price or effective issue price of less than $9.20 per Class A ordinary share (with such issue price or effective issue price to be determined in good faith by the Company's board of directors and, in the case of any such issuance to the initial shareholders, and anchor investors, or their affiliates, without taking into account any Founder Shares held by the initial shareholders, and anchor investors or such affiliates, as applicable, prior to such issuance), (the “Newly Issued Price”) (y) the aggregate gross proceeds from such issuances represent more than 60% of the total equity proceeds, and interest thereon, available for the funding of an initial Business Combination on the date of the consummation of an initial Business Combination (net of redemptions), and the volume weighted average trading price of the Class A ordinary shares during the 20 trading day period starting on the trading day after the day on which the Company consummates an initial Business Combination (such price, the “Market Value”) is below $9.20 per share, the exercise price of the warrants will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 115% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price, and the $18.00 per share redemption trigger price described above will be adjusted (to the nearest cent) to be equal to 180% of the higher of the Market Value and the Newly Issued Price.

 

The Private Placement Warrants (including the Class A ordinary shares issuable upon exercise of the Private Placement Warrants) will not be transferable, assignable or salable until 30 days after the completion of an initial Business Combination (except, among other limited exceptions, to the officers and directors and other persons or entities affiliated with the initial purchasers of the Private Placement Warrants) and they will not be redeemable by the Company so long as they are held by the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees. The initial purchasers, or their permitted transferees, have the option to exercise the Private Placement Warrants on a cashless basis. Except as described in this section, the Private Placement Warrants have terms and provisions that are identical to those of the Public Warrants. If the Private Placement Warrants are held by holders other than the initial purchasers or their permitted transferees, the Private Placement Warrants will be redeemable by the Company and exercisable by the holders on the same basis as the Public Warrants.

 

The Company accounts for the 18,650,000 warrants issued in connection with the Initial Public Offering (including 11,500,000 Public Warrants and 7,150,000 Private Placement Warrants) in accordance with the guidance contained in ASC 815-40. Such guidance provides that because the warrants do not meet the criteria for equity treatment thereunder, each warrant must be recorded as a liability.

 

 F-15 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

The accounting treatment of derivative financial instruments requires that the Company record the warrants as derivative liabilities at fair value upon the closing of the Initial Public Offering. The Public Warrants have been allocated a portion of the proceeds from the issuance of the Units equal to its fair value. These warrant liabilities are subject to re-measurement at each balance sheet date. With each such re-measurement, the warrant liability will be adjusted to its current fair value, with the change in fair value recognized in the Company’s statement of operations. The Company will reassess the classification at each balance sheet date. If the classification changes as a result of events during the period, the warrants will be reclassified as of the date of the event that causes the reclassification.

 

NOTE 8. SHAREHOLDERS' DEFICIT

 

Preference shares —The Company is authorized to issue 1,000,000 preferred shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share with such designations, voting and other rights and preferences as may be determined from time to time by the Company’s board of directors. At October 12, 2021, there were no preference shares issued or outstanding.

 

Class A ordinary shares — The Company is authorized to issue 200,000,000 Class A ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At October 12, 2021, there were no Class A ordinary shares issued and outstanding, excluding 23,000,000 Class A ordinary shares subject to possible redemption.

 

Class B ordinary shares — The Company is authorized to issue 20,000,000 Class B ordinary shares with a par value of $0.0001 per share. Holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to one vote for each share. At October 12, 2021, there were 5,750,000 Class B ordinary shares issued and outstanding. The initial shareholders, including the anchor investors, own 20% of the Company’s issued and outstanding shares on an as-converted basis.

 

Ordinary shareholders of record are entitled to one vote for each share held on all matters to be voted on by shareholders. Except as described below, holders of Class A ordinary shares and holders of Class B ordinary shares will vote together as a single class on all matters submitted to a vote of the Company’s shareholders except as required by law. Unless specified in the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association, or as required by applicable provisions of the Companies Act or applicable stock exchange rules, the affirmative vote of a majority of the ordinary shares that are voted is required to approve any such matter voted on by the shareholders. Approval of certain actions will require a special resolution under Cayman Islands law, being the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the ordinary shares that are voted, and pursuant to the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association; such actions include amending the Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association and approving a statutory merger or consolidation with another company. The Company’s board of directors is divided into three classes, each of which will generally serve for a term of three years with only one class of directors being appointed in each year. There is no cumulative voting with respect to the appointment of directors, with the result that the holders of more than 50% of the shares voted for the appointment of directors can appoint all of the directors. The Company’s shareholders are entitled to receive ratable dividends when, as and if declared by the board of directors out of funds legally available therefor. Prior to the Company’s initial Business Combination, (i) only holders of the founder shares will have the right to vote on the appointment of directors and (ii) in a vote to continue the Company in a jurisdiction outside the Cayman Islands (which requires the approval of at least two thirds of the votes of all ordinary shares), holders of the Company’s Class B ordinary shares will have ten votes for every Class B ordinary share and holders of the Class A ordinary shares will have one vote for every Class A ordinary share. These provisions of the Company’s Amended and Restated Memorandum and Articles of Association may only be amended by a special resolution passed by not less than 90% of the ordinary shares who attend and vote at the Company’s general meeting which shall include the affirmative vote of a simple majority of the Class B ordinary shares. Holders of the Public Shares will not be entitled to vote on the appointment of directors prior to the initial Business Combination. In addition, prior to the completion of an initial Business Combination, holders of a majority of the Founder Shares may remove a member of the board of directors for any reason. In connection with the initial Business Combination, the Company may enter into a shareholders agreement or other arrangements with the shareholders of the target with respect to voting and other corporate governance matters following completion of the initial Business Combination.

 

 F-16 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

Dividends

 

The Company has not paid any cash dividends on the ordinary shares to date and does not intend to pay cash dividends prior to the completion of the initial Business Combination.

 

NOTE 9. FAIR VALUE MEASUREMENTS

 

The following table presents information about the Company’s financial assets that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of October 12, 2021, and indicates the fair value hierarchy of the valuation inputs the Company utilized to determine such fair value:

 

Description 

Amount at

Fair Value

   Level 1   Level 2   Level 3 
October 12, 2021                    
Liabilities                    
Warrant liability – Public Warrants  $12,811,000   $   $   $12,811,000 
Warrant liability – Private Placement Warrants  $8,294,000   $   $   $8,294,000 
Total  $21,105,000   $   $   $21,105,000 

 

The Company utilizes a Monte Carlo simulation model to value the Public Warrants and a probability-adjusted Black-Scholes method to value the Private Placement Warrants at each reporting period, with changes in fair value recognized in the statement of operations. The estimated fair value of the warrant liabilities are determined using Level 3 inputs. Inherent in pricing models are assumptions related to expected share-price volatility, expected life, risk-free interest rate and dividend yield. The Company estimates the volatility of its ordinary shares based on historical volatility that matches the expected remaining life of the warrants. The risk-free interest rate is based on the U.S. Treasury zero-coupon yield curve on the grant date for a maturity similar to the expected remaining life of the warrants. The expected life of the warrants is assumed to be equivalent to their remaining contractual term. The dividend rate is based on the historical rate, which the Company anticipates to remain at zero.

 

 F-17 

 

 

IX ACQUISITION CORP.

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENT

 

The following table provides the significant inputs to the probability-adjusted Black-Scholes method for the fair value of the Private Warrants:

  

   At October 12, 2021
(Initial
Measurement)
 
Stock price  $10.00 
Exercise price  $11.50 
Dividend yield   %
Expected term (in years)   6.00 
Term to Business Combination (in years)   1.00 
Volatility   17.0%
Risk-free rate   1.14%
Fair value  $1.16 

 

The following table provides the significant inputs to the Monte-Carlo method for the fair value of the Public Warrants:

 

   At October 12, 2021
(Initial
Measurement)
 
Stock price  $10.00 
Exercise price  $11.50 
Expected term (in years)   6.00 
Term to Business Combination (in years)   1.00 
Volatility   17.0%
Risk-free rate   1.14%
Fair value  $1.11 

 

The following table provides a summary of the changes in the fair value of the Company’s Level 3 financial instruments that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis:

 
   Private Placement   Public   Warrant Liabilities 
Fair value at March 1, 2021 (inception)  $   $   $ 
Initial measurement at October 12, 2021   8,294,000    12,811,000    21,105,000 
Fair value at October 12, 2021  $8,294,000   $12,811,000   $21,105,000 

 

Transfers to/from Levels 1, 2 and 3 are recognized at the end of the reporting period in which a change in valuation technique or methodology occurs. There were no transfers in or out of Level 3 from other levels in the fair value hierarchy for the period from March 1, 2021 (inception) through October 12, 2021.

 

The fair value of the Private Placement Warrants of $8,294,000, less the Private Placement proceeds of $7,150,000, resulted in an excess of fair value of $1,144,000, which has been recorded as a charge to the statement of operations, and reflected in the accumulated deficit balance in the financial statement as of October 12, 2021.

 

NOTE 10. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

 

The Company evaluated subsequent events and transactions that occurred after the balance sheet date up to the date that the financial statement was issued. Based upon this review, the Company did not identify any subsequent events that would have required adjustment or disclosure in the financial statement.

 

 F-18